Method and system for multi-transport and multi-protocol processing in a broadband gateway

ABSTRACT

A broadband gateway, which enables communication with a plurality of devices, handles at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider. The broadband gateway may receive a packet from a network access service provider over a physical layer connection. The broadband gateway may determine which one of a set of possible transport protocols is utilized for the received packet. The determined transport protocol is utilized to identify or search for content of the received packet. The set of possible transport protocols are selected based on, for example, a channel type identified for the physical layer connection. The selected set of possible transport protocols may be utilized, sequentially or concurrently, to determine the transport protocol for the received packet. The identified content is marked utilizing the determined transport protocol for content distribution to devices for content consumption.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to andclaims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/351,696 (Attorney Docket No. 23397US01) filed on Jun. 4, 2010.

The above stated application is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,377 filed on Jan. 16, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,413 filed on Jan. 16, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,480 filed on Jan. 16, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/395,383 filed on Feb. 27, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23397U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23398U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23399U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23400U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23401U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23402U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23403U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23404U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23405U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23406U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23407U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23408U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23410U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23411U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23412U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23413U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23414U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23415U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23416U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23417U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23418U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23419U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23420U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23421U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23422U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23423U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23424U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23425U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23426U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23427U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23428U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23429U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23430U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23431U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23432U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23433U502)filed on ______;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23434U502)filed on ______; andU.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23435U502)filed on ______.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to broadband gateways. Morespecifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a methodand system for multi-transport and multi-protocol processing in abroadband gateway.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the continuous growth of digital television or broadcastmultimedia, and/or broadband access, which may be used in conjunctionwith online businesses, social networks, and/or other online servicesand applications, users may desire having access to a larger number ofproviders and/or a broader range of content in a manner that is flexibleand/or suits the users' lifestyles. Most users connect to the Internetusing web browsers running on personal computers (PCs). Furthermore,most households may have one or more televisions that may be used toview television and/or multimedia broadcasts. Television broadcasts mayinclude terrestrial TV, Cable-Television (CATV), satellite TV and/orInternet Protocol television (IPTV) based broadcasts. To ensure againstunauthorized reception and/or use of TV and/or multimedia broadcast,service providers may require use of dedicated set-top boxes (STBs) thatmay be used to encrypt broadcast signals communicated from the serviceproviders to generate suitable video and/or audio streams that may beplayed via televisions and/or other display/playback devices in thehousehold. Furthermore, STBs and/or TVs may support Internet access.Thus, rather than using a computer to access the Internet, a user mayfind it more convenient to use the flat screen televisions and/ormonitors in homes for the same purpose. To do so, for example, an STBconnected to a flat screen television may be provided with web browsingsoftware and protocols, and Internet connectivity, which may enable theuser to easily access the Internet or check their electronic mail(email), for example, from a convenient and comfortable location such astheir living room.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention asset forth in the remainder of the present application with reference tothe drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method is provided for multi-transport andmulti-protocol processing in a broadband gateway, substantially asillustrated by and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication systemthat comprises a home network serviced by a broadband gateway, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary broadband gateway, whichmay be operable to perform multi-transport and multi-protocol processingon packets received from a plurality of corresponding network accessservice providers over a plurality of physical layer connections, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processor that maybe utilized by a broadband gateway to sequentially performmulti-transport processing based on ranking of a plurality of possibletransport protocols utilized by service providers, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processor that maybe utilized by a broadband gateway to perform parallel multi-transportprocessing utilizing a plurality of possible transport protocolsutilized by service providers, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps that may beperformed by a broadband gateway for multi-transport and multi-protocolprocessing on packets received from a plurality of corresponding networkaccess service providers over a plurality of physical layer connections,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and systemfor multi-transport and multi-protocol processing in a broadbandgateway. In various embodiments of the invention, a broadband gateway,which enables communication with a plurality of devices, is operable tohandle at least one physical layer connection to at least onecorresponding network access service provider. In this regard, the atleast one physical layer connection may comprise a plurality of physicallayer connections and the at least one corresponding network accessservice provider may comprise a plurality of access service providers.Each of the plurality of physical layer connections corresponds to arespective one of the plurality of corresponding access serviceproviders. The broadband gateway may receive a packet from a pluralityof network access service provider over a corresponding physical layerconnection. The broadband gateway may determine which one of a set ofpossible transport protocols is utilized for the received packet. Thedetermined transport protocol may be utilized to identify content withinthe received packet. The set of possible transport protocols may beselected and/or determined based on, for example, a channel typeidentified for the physical layer connection. The selected set ofpossible transport protocols may be utilized, either sequentially or inparallel, to filter the received packet. The selected set of possibletransport protocols may be ranked, for a serial transport process, basedon service priority, for example. The received packet may be filteredutilizing the selected set of possible transport protocols, one at atime, based on the ranking. For a parallel transport process, theselected set of possible transport protocols may be concurrentlyutilized to filter the received packet. The content identified for thereceived packet may be marked utilizing the determined transportprotocol for content distribution.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication systemthat comprises a home network serviced by a broadband gateway, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1,there is shown a home network 100 a, a plurality of distributionnetworks 110, a plurality of service providers 120, and a plurality ofcontent providers 130. The home network 100 a may be serviced by abroadband gateway 102. Also shown in FIG. 1 are additional home networks100 b, . . . , 100 n. Each of the home networks 100 b, . . . , 100 n mayalso be serviced by a broadband gateway 102.

The service providers 120 may comprise various entities which mayprovide various services using different access technologies to devices104 via the gateway 102 and/or to the gateway 102 itself. The servicesmay include, but are not limited to, multimedia, television, Internet,phone, Ethernet, multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA), passive opticalnetwork (PON), and/or cellular services, for example. Some of theservice providers 120 may comprise network access service providerswhich provide physical layer connections to the gateway 102. Suchphysical layer connections may then be utilized to access, and/or may bepart of, the distribution networks 110. In this regard, “network accessservice provider” as utilized herein, is distinguished from the moregeneric term “service provider” which may encompass services other thanproviding physical layer access to a network. Cable televisionproviders, plain old telephone service (POTS) providers, digitalsubscriber line (DSL) providers, cellular providers, WiMAX providers,and satellite providers are examples of network access serviceproviders.

The content providers 130 may generate, capture, and/or package content,such as multimedia content, that may be distributed to end-users. Thecontent may comprise, for example, audio, video, e-book, gaming, and/orother content. The content may be, for example, downloadable and/orstreaming, rented and/or purchased. In some instances, a contentprovider and a service provider may be separate. In some instances, asindicated by the dashed line 106, a single provider may provide bothcontent and services. For example, an entity that functions as a networkaccess service provider may also provide content and/or services otherthan network access and, thus, that entity may also be accuratelyreferred to as a “content provider” and/or a “service provider.” Contentand/or services that are provided by a content provider 130 and/or aservice provider 120 may be provided to the gateway 110 via a physicallayer connection provided by a network access service provider 120.

The plurality of distribution networks 110 may comprise one or morenetworks that may be operable to enable wireless and/or wiredcommunication among a plurality of entities based on one or morenetworking and/or communication infrastructures. In this regard, theplurality of distribution networks 110 may be utilized to enabledistributing multimedia content generated by the content providers 130,directly and/or via the service providers 120, to end-users. The networkconnectivity available via the plurality of distribution networks 110may be based on one or more communication standards and/or protocols.The plurality of distribution networks 110 may comprise, for example,the Internet 110 a, a CATV network 110 b, a satellite television (TV)network 110 c, a wireless local area network/wide area network (LAN/WAN)110 d, and/or a cellular network 110 e.

The Internet 110 a may comprise a system of interconnected networks toenable exchange of data between a plurality of nodes, based on one ormore networking standards, including, for example, the Internet Protocol(IP). For example, the Internet 110 a may enable connectivity among aplurality of private and public, academic, business, and/or governmentnodes and/or networks. The physical connectivity may be provided in theInternet 110 a via, for example, the Public Switched Telephone Network(PSTN), copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless interfaces, and/orother protocols and/or standards-based interfaces. The transportfunctionality may be performed in the Internet 110 a based on, forexample, one or more protocols, such as the Transmission ControlProtocol/IP (TCP/IP), for example. The CATV network 110 b may comprisesuitable distribution nodes, systems, and/or subnetworks that may enableforwarding of communication between CATV providers and a plurality ofcable-TV consumers. For example, the CATV network 110 b may comprise anetwork of fiber optics and/or coaxial cables for use in CATVbroadcasts. The satellite TV network 110 c may comprise suitabledistribution nodes, systems, and/or subnetworks that may enablecommunication of satellite TV broadcast by satellite TV providers to aplurality of consumers. For example, the satellite network 110 c maycomprise a plurality of orbiting satellite nodes and/or one or moreterrestrial centers in a satellite-TV system.

The LAN/WAN network 110 d may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to enable implementation ofone or more wired and/or wireless LAN or WAN standards and/or protocols.Exemplary WAN technologies comprise, for example, WiMAX-based networks.Exemplary LAN technologies may comprise, for example, those based onIEEE 802.11 standards, including, for example, WiFi-based networks. Thecellular network 110 e may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to enable communication viaone or more cellular technologies. Exemplary cellular technologies maycomprise Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA),CDMA1000, High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Global System forMobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS),Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), and/or Universal MobileTelecommunication System (UMTS). The cellular network 110 e maycomprise, for example, a plurality of control and/or switching nodes,and a plurality of base stations that enable transmission and/orreception of cellular based communications between the cellular network110 e and cellular capable devices.

The home network 100 a may correspond to a location that may comprise aplurality of devices 104 which may be serviced and/or managed by thebroadband gateway 102. In this regard, the location may be a residence(e.g., home, apartment), a small business, a school, a library, and/orother like settings in which users may want to obtain access to serviceand/or to content provider networks. The broadband gateway 102 may beutilized in the home network 100 a to provide connectivity between thehome network 100 a and the service providers 120 (and/or the contentproviders 130) via the distribution networks 110.

The broadband gateway 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to provide connectivitybetween one or more devices in a home network, such as the home network100 a, and a plurality of external networks. For example, the broadbandgateway 102 may handle a plurality of broadband physical layerconnections 108 to the distribution networks 110. The broadband physicallayer connections 108 may comprise wired, optical, and/or wirelessconnections between the broadband gateway 102 and the distributionnetworks 110, which may enable communication between the broadbandgateway 102 and the service providers 120. The broadband gateway 102 mayoperate as an interface device that may allow one or more service and/orcontent providers to interact with various devices in the home network.In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to performand/or provide various services that may pertain to enabling and/orfacilitating reception of content from one or more content providers,wherein the content may be delivered through one or more servicesproviders. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable toperform such operations as network access related processing (e.g.,PHY/MAC, transport layer processing), encryption and/or decryption, userand/or account authentication, and/or at least some of video and/oraudio processing operations that may be needed for consumption ofmultimedia content. The broadband gateway 102 may communicate withvarious devices in the home network 100, using wired and/or wirelesscommunication links.

A single broadband gateway 102 may be operable to handle multiplephysical layer (i.e., layer 1 of the open-systems interconnection model(OSI)) connections 108 to multiple ones, or portions, of thedistribution networks 110, where different ones or portions of thedistribution network(s) 110 are owned, operated, leased, or otherwiseassociated with different network access service providers 120. Forexample, a first network access service provider 120 may provide networkaccess to the gateway 102 via a DSL connection over twisted-paircabling, and a second network access service provider 120 may providenetwork access to the gateway 102 via a cable television connection overcoaxial cabling. In some instances, the gateway 102 may be operable toconcurrently communicate over multiple physical layer connectionsprovided by multiple network access service providers.

The broadband gateway 102 may also be operable to provide and/or supportvarious other, non-content related services in the home network 100. Forexample, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to provide energymanagement in the home network 102, by controlling and/or adjustingconfiguration of one or more devices in the home network to reduce powerconsumption for example.

Devices serviced by, and/or connected with the broadband gateway 102 maycomprise content consuming devices and/or other, non-content consuminghousehold or home devices that may be operable to interact with thebroadband gateway 102. For example, the broadband gateway 102 mayservice, and/or may communicate with a plurality of home devices 104a-104 j in the home network 100 a. The home devices may comprise, forexample, one or more of a television 104 a, a laptop computer 104 b, asmoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, and/or a security alarm 104c, a computer and/or server 104 d, a mobile phone 104 e, a speaker 104f, an AM/FM radio 104 g, a phone 104 h, an appliance 104 i (e.g.,refrigerator), and a digital video recorder (DVR) or personal videorecorder (PVR) 104 j. The broadband gateway 102 may interact with eachof the home devices 104 a-104 j via links 106 a-106 j, which may besupported by the broadband gateway 102 and the corresponding homedevice. For example, the link 106 a between the broadband gateway 102and the television 104 a may comprise a High-Definition MultimediaInterface (HDMI) cable and/or 60 GHz WiGig wirelessconnection/interface. The link 106 b may comprise, for example, a wiredEthernet link, a wireless Ethernet link, a Universal Serial Bus (USB)link, or an IEEE 1394 link. The link 106 c may comprise, for example, atwo-wire link or a wireless link. The link 106 d may comprise, forexample, a wired Ethernet link, a wireless Ethernet link, a USB link, oran IEEE 1394 link. The link 106 e may comprise, for example, a wirelessEthernet link, a USB link, or a cellular link. The link 106 f maycomprise speaker wire and/or a wireless link. The link 106 g maycomprise, for example, AM and/or FM radio transmissions broadcastreceived using the broadband gateway 102. The link 106 h may comprise,for example, a phone line. The link 106 i may comprise, for example, awired or wireless Ethernet link. The link 106 j may comprise, forexample, a wired or a wireless link.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1,although the devices 104 a-104 j, may communicate only the broadbandgateway 102 as shown, the invention may not be so limited. Accordingly,the devices 104 a-104 j, may communicate with multiple broadbandgateways in a local or home network without departing from the spiritand scope of various embodiments of the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of home networks 100 b, . . . ,100 n, may also be connected to the distribution networks 110. Thesehome networks 100 b, . . . , 100 n may operate in substantially the samemanner as the home network 100 a. By having multiple home networksconnected to the distribution networks 110, various applications, suchas peer-to-peer communication and/or data aggregation operations may bepossible by utilizing the broadband gateways 102 in the home networks.

In operation, one or more intended devices such as the device 104 aassociated with the broadband gateway 102 may request that content bedelivered to it via the broadband gateway 102. The broadband gateway 102may communicate with the content providers 130 and/or the serviceproviders 120 for the content requested by the device 104 a.

In an embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may supportand/or perform multi-transport processing on packets received from thecorresponding content providers 130 and/or service providers 120 over aplurality of physical layer connections. The broadband gateway 102,before allowing the device 104 a to access the requested content in thereceived packets, may learn or monitor traffic behavior such as past orcurrent traffic patterns and/or traffic volume between the associatednetworks and the device 104 a to identify or determine channel types forthe plurality of corresponding physical layer connections. Theidentified channel types may comprise, for example, Cable linearbroadcast, IP satellite, and/or video on demand (VoD). For each of theidentified channel types, the broadband gateway 102 may determine orselect multiple most possible transport protocols such as MPG, MP2, MP3,MP4, MPEG, AVI, MPA, MPV, WAV, AU, WMA, WMV and/or ASF that may beutilized by the content providers 130 and/or the service providers 120for the received packets. The broadband gateway 102 may be operable toutilize the selected multiple transport protocols to filter ormulti-transport process the received packets in order to identify orsearch for content in the received packets. A process of filtering thereceived packets utilizing multiple transport protocols is referred toas a multi-transport process. In instances where the received packetsare IP encapsulated by the content providers 130 and/or serviceproviders 120, the broadband gateway 102 may transcode the receivedpackets before performing multi-transport processing on the receivedpackets.

In an embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may performserial or parallel multi-transport processing on the received packetsdepending on gateway configuration. In instances where a serialmulti-transport process is supported by the broadband gateway 102, thebroadband gateway 102 may be operable to sequentially perform transportprocessing on the received packets utilizing selected multiple possibletransport protocols. In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may rankor sort the selected multiple possible transport protocols based on, forexample, service priority, content quality, price, QoS, gatewayconfiguration and/or device profiles. The device profiles may comprisedevice capability such as network protocols supported by the devices104, device power consumption information and/or user preferences. Thebroadband gateway 102 may perform transport processing sequentially oneach of the received packets according to the ranking or sorting of theselected multiple possible transport protocols. In instances where aparallel multi-transport processing is supported by the broadbandgateway 102, the broadband gateway 102 may perform parallel ordistributed transport processing on each of the received packetsutilizing the selected multiple possible transport protocols.

In an embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may beoperable to identify or discover correct transport protocols that may beutilized by the content providers 130 and/or service providers 120 forthe received packets. In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 maycheck fields of the received packets utilizing the selected multiplepossible transport protocols to determine or discover the correcttransport protocols utilized by the corresponding content providers 130and/or service providers 120 for the received packets.

In an embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may searchfor or identify content in the received packets utilizing correcttransport protocols determined through transport processing on thereceived packets. The identified content may be marked utilizing thedetermined correct transport protocols and may be provided to thedevices 104 for content consumption.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary broadband gateway, whichmay be operable to perform multi-transport and multi-protocol processingon packets received from a plurality of corresponding network accessservice providers over a plurality of physical layer connections, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, thebroadband gateway 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code,and/or interfaces that may be operable to provide connectivity betweenone or more networks, such as the distribution networks 110 shown inFIG. 1, for example, and one or more devices in a home network, such asthe home devices 104 a-104 j in the home network 100 a shown in FIG. 1.In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may operate as an interfacedevice that allows one or more devices in the home network to access oneor more networks, and to access various services and/or content viathose one or more networks. For example, the broadband gateway 102 maybe utilized to enable interaction between the plurality of serviceproviders 120 and/or the plurality of content providers 130, and thehome devices 104 a-104 j.

The broadband gateway 102 may communicate with the various devices via ahome network that may comprise wired and/or wireless communicationlinks, such as the home network 100 a. In this regard, the broadbandgateway 102 may comprise suitable hardware and/or software to providesome or all of the functions and/or operations of one or more of amodem, a router, and a switch. The modem functions and/or operations maybe those of a digital subscribed line (DSL) modem, a cable modem, or awireless cable modem, for example. The router functions and/oroperations may be those of a wireless router, for example. The switchfunctions and/or operations may be those of a network switch, or a localarea network (LAN) switch, for example. In some instances, the broadbandgateway 102 may communicate with the various devices in the home viamore than one home network.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to provide energy managementby varying the configuration of one or more devices in the home network.The broadband gateway 102 may collect and/or store energy-relatedinformation of the devices in the home network and/or of the links inthe home network, and may utilize such information to control theoperation of the home devices. For example, the broadband gateway 102may utilize channel capacity flexibility and content coding options tominimize and/or optimize power utilization. The broadband gateway 102may also configure and/or manage the configuration of the networkbetween the broadband gateway 102 and one or more service/contentproviders based on the energy-related information associated with thedevices in the home. For example, at least a portion of the distributionnetworks 100 may be configured and/or managed in this manner. Thebroadband gateway 102 may be utilized to display energy-related metrics,including consumption trends and/or costs, for example, and to displayany available credits/rewards that may be redeemed by a user. In someinstances, when a device in the home network is a certified device, suchas a California efficient display, for example, the broadband gateway102 may be utilized to provide that information to a service/contentprovider and obtain rewards/credits associated with the use of suchcertified devices. Moreover, overall network power consumption may bemanaged by sharing information among multiple interconnected broadbandgateways.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to adapt and/or enable changesin a subscription model and/or in multimedia delivery characteristicsbased on the capabilities of the various devices in the home network.For example, high-definition video content may be delivered to certaintype of devices, such as digital televisions (DTVs), whilelow-definition video content and/or text may be delivered to a differenttype of devices, such as personal mobile devices. In this regard, thebroadband gateway 102 may be utilized to reduce bandwidth and/orprocessing power consumption in the home network. The broadband gateway200 may also support and/or use multi-transport processing, which may beperformed sequentially, in parallel, and/or utilizing distributedprocessing.

The gateway functionality associated with a user, such as securityfeatures, preferences, applications, electronic programming guides(EPGs), and user profile, for example, may be ported from the broadbandgateway 102 to one or more other broadband gateways 102 in otherlocations. In some instances, a visitor may be allowed access to theircontent outside their service/content provider service area by, forexample, classifying the access level for different users and/or byproviding limited access to content. Moreover, the broadband gateway 102may allow multiple user interface software structures by, for example,standardizing an interface to service/content providers and devices inthe home network.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to broker and/or arbitratewith service/content providers the consumption of certain services, suchas music and video, for example. In some instances, the broadbandgateway 102 may perform content search, transport discovery, ranking,and/or sorting. These operations may be performed based on contentquality, price, quality-of-service (QOS), and network protocolssupported by the devices in the home network, such as service levelagreements (SLAB), for example.

Various emergency-related services in the home network may be supportedby the broadband gateway 102, including allowing first responders toprovide alerts to a select group of users by accessing the broadbandgateway 102 via secure links provided by the service/content providers.For example, the broadband gateway 102 may enable an emergency serviceprovider, such as those associated with the emergency service providernetwork 140 described above in FIG. 1, to access one or more devices inthe home network.

Customized graphical user interfaces (GUIs) may be generated by thebroadband gateway 102, wherein the GUIs may be used to visually displayand/or provide interaction with the customized content.

For peer-to-peer communication, the broadband gateway 102 may beutilized to allow enhanced content sharing in a service/content providernetwork. In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may be utilized toconstruct a directory service for peer-to-peer connectivity with friendsand family, for example. The broadband gateway 102 may be utilized toprovide incentives to users who engage in peer-to-peer communicationthrough, for example, the distribution networks 110. Moreover, thebroadband gateway 102 may be utilized to match the content coding to theservice type being consumed by the user and to make the necessaryallocations through the network with respect to peer-to-peer orconventional Internet programming or broadcast programming.

The broadband gateway 102 may be utilized in connection with constrainednetwork resources, such as time of day, traffic congestion, and thelike, for example, to provide incentives for a user to accept a lowercost, lower quality of service that is dynamically configured forcurrent network conditions. In some instances, the broadband gateway 102may allow enhanced low latency service delivery to client devices in ahome network.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to run or execute an agent toextract content, rating, copyright, language, privacy rules, andautomatically add user generated content, for example. Such agent may berun or executed in connection with the processor module 204 of thebroadband gateway 102, for example. In some instances, the broadbandgateway 102 may be operable to provide rating-related information orchannel prediction to a service/content provider to assist with fastchannel change.

Bandwidth optimization by, for example, placing future requests forbandwidth to a service/content provider and accepting the best timeslotsprovided in return may be enabled by the broadband gateway 102.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to combine and/or blendmultiple contents for use as single content in the home network. Suchcombination may be performed in one or more of the modules of thebroadband gateway 102. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may blenddifferent video and audio contents for an event by accessing one or moreservice/content providers and providing automatic and/or manual contentsynchronization.

The protection, management, and/or tracking of confidential data, suchas health and financial records, for example, by tagging the data may beprovided by the broadband gateway 102. Only when a user authorizes thetransfer of the confidential data will such data be stored and/oraggregated. The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to create atrusted rating mechanism for content. The broadband gateway 102 may besecure against external threats that may be downloaded from outside thehome network and may provide a secure domain distribution in the homenetwork. Automated and secured billing and payment services may also beprovided by the broadband gateway 102.

The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to utilize client or homedevice profile information to select layered video service(s) and/ortransmission. Such information may be stored, at least temporarily, inthe memory module 206 of the broadband gateway 102. In some instances,the programming and/or enhanced video layers received by the broadbandgateway 102 may be aggregated midstream by one or more network orrouting nodes.

The broadband gateway 102 may support a reduction in the cost ofunwatched content by using multi-tier billing for downloaded content,such as video content. The broadband gateway 102 may be utilized toprovide a unified payment portal for collecting and/or aggregatingcharges from multiple service and/or content providers.

The broadband gateway 102 may comprise one or more modules. Each ofthese modules may comprise hardware, software, or a combination thereofthat may be utilized to perform various operations associated with thebroadband gateway 102. In an embodiment of the invention, the broadbandgateway 102 may comprise a provider interface module 202, a processormodule 204, a memory module 206, and a home network interface module208. In some instances, the broadband gateway 102 may be such that thevarious modules listed above may be distributed over multiple devices.Moreover, the modules listed above are provided by way of illustrationand not of limitation. Other configurations and/or architectures of thebroadband gateway 102 may also be implemented. For example, thebroadband gateway 102 may be a virtual gateway that is setup in anetwork by utilizing virtual machines (VMs) and/or next-generation (NG)data centers.

The provider interface module 202 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may be operable to receive datafrom and/or send data to one or more service/content providers via oneor more physical layer connections 130 to one or more network accessservice providers. In this regard, each of the physical layerconnections 130 ₁-130 _(J) may connect the gateway 110 to a differencenetwork access service provider. Each of the physical layer connections130 may comprise a wired, optical, or wireless connection. Each of thephysical layer connections 130 may utilize different physical mediaand/or different physical layer protocols. For example, the connection130 ₁ may comprise a DSL over twisted-pair connection and the connection130 _(J) may comprise a CATV over coaxial cable connection.

The processor module 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code,and/or interfaces that may be operable to process data received from theservice/content providers and/or data received from one or more devices104 in the home. Data received from the service/content providers viaone or more physical layer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J) may be processedto make it suitable for communication to a device such as the device 104a and data from the one or more devices 104 may be processed to make itsuitable for communication to the service/content providers via one ormore physical layer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J). In this regard, theprocessor module 204 may comprise one or more portions that are suitableto handle or perform multi-transport processing on packets received overthe one or more physical layer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J). The receivedpackets may comprise certain types of content or data such as video dataand/or audio data, for example.

The processor module 204, before allowing the one or more devices 104 toaccess content in the received packets, may be configured to identifychannel types such as, for example, Cable linear broadcast, IPsatellite, and/or VoD, for the physical layer connections 210 ₁-210_(J). The processor module 204 may determine or select multiple mostpossible transport protocols that may be utilized or supported by thecontent providers 130 and/or service providers 120 over the physicallayer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J). Depending on gateway configuration,the processor module 204 may perform serial or parallel multi-transportprocessing on the received packets utilizing the determined multiplepossible transport protocols. For a serial multi-transport process, theprocessor module 204 may be operable to rank or sort the determinedmultiple possible transport protocols based on, for example, servicepriority, content quality, price, QoS, network protocols supported bythe one or more devices 104 and/or user preferences. The receivedpackets may be sequentially transport processed based on the ranking orsorting of the determined multiple possible transport protocols. For aparallel multi-transport process, the processor module 204 may performparallel or distributed transport processing on the received packetsutilizing the determined multiple possible transport protocols. Correcttransport protocols for the received packets may be identified ordiscovered through the multi-transport processing. In this regard, theprocessor module 204 may compare or match fields of the received packetswith packet formats specified in the determined multiple possibletransport protocols so as to determine the correct transport protocolsfor the received packets. The determined correct transport protocols maybe utilized by the broadband gateway 102 to identify or search forcontent in the received packets. The identified content may be markedutilizing the determined correct transport protocols and may be providedor communicated to the one or more devices 104 for content consumption.

The processor module 204 may also be operable to generate a graphicaluser interface (GUI) which may be manipulated via which a user mayprovide input. The GUI may be displayed as part of an OSD on a localdevice 104, such as a monitor or television, and may be manipulated viaa remote control and/or other input device that communicates directlywith the broadband gateway 102. The GUI may be a web-based interface,and a user may interact with it via a computer and web browser. The GUImay be customized based on characteristics of the broadband gateway 102,the device 104 coupled to the broadband gateway 102, and the serviceand/or content providers associated with the broadband gateway 102. Theprocessors module 204 may utilize the memory 206 in performing itsfunctions.

The memory module 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, code,and/or interfaces that may be operable to store data utilized in theoperations of the broadband gateway 102. For example, the memory module206 may be utilized to store configuration data, parameters, deviceinformation, tracking and/or monitoring information, securityinformation, and intermediate processing data, for example. The memorymodule 206 may comprise storage media that may be integrated in thebroadband gateway 102 and/or may be removable such as a removablestorage device.

The home network interface module 208 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may be operable to receive datafrom and/or send data to one or more devices in the home network. Thehome network interface module 208 may be operable to support multiplecommunication protocols, standards, and/or data transport technologies.In this regard, the home network interface module 208 may handle one ormore physical layer connections to one or more devices 104. For example,the home network interface module 208 may comprise, one or more wiredand/or wireless Ethernet interfaces, one or more analog and/or digitalaudio outputs, one or more audio/video interfaces such as such as HDMIand DisplayPort, 60 GHz WiGig wireless connection/interface, one or moreUSB interfaces, one or more IEEE 1394, and/or one or more telephonejacks.

In operation, a request for content may be received from a device 104via the home network interface module 208 and the processor module 204may determine whether to grant the request. In instances that therequest is granted, the processor module 204 may receive, via theprovider interface module 202, packets comprising content of interestfrom the content providers 130 and/or the service providers 120 over thephysical layer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J). The processor module 204 maybe operable to identify channel types such as Cable linear broadcast andIP satellite for the physical layer connections 210 ₁-210 j. Multiplemost possible transport protocols that may be utilized by the contentproviders 130 and/or the service providers 120 for the received packetsmay be determined based on the identified channel types. The processormodule 204 may be operable to perform serial or parallel transportprocessing on the received packets utilizing the determined multiplepossible transport protocols. In instances where serial transportprocessing is supported by the broadband gateway 102, the processormodule 204 may rank or sort the determined multiple possible transportprotocols based on, for example, service priority and/or contentquality. Each of the received packets may be sequentially transportprocessed according to the ranking of the determined multiple possibletransport protocols. Correct transport protocols may be identified ordiscovered for the received packets by matching fields of the receivedpackets with the determined multiple possible transport protocols. Theidentified correct transport protocols may be utilized to search for oridentify content in the received packets. The processor module 204 maymark the identified content with the discovered correct transportprotocols. The resulting marked content may be communicated to one ormore devices 104 via the home network interface module 208.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processor that maybe utilized by a broadband gateway to sequentially performmulti-transport processing based on ranking of a plurality of possibletransport protocols utilized by service providers, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown aprocessor module 300 that may be utilized by a broadband gateway 102.The processor module 300 may be coupled to a plurality of physical layerconnections 310 ₁-310 _(J). processor module 300 may comprise multiplepossible transport protocols 320 ₁-320 _(k) that may be utilized by thecontent providers 130 and/or the service providers 120 over the physicallayer connections 310 ₁-310 _(J), a switch 330 and a transport processor340.

The processor module 300 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to identify channel types suchas VoD, Cable linear broadcast and/or IP satellite for the correspondingphysical layer connections 310 ₁-310 _(J). possible transport protocols320 ₁-320 _(k) may comprise various different transport protocols suchas, for examples, RTP/TS, RTP/ASF, RTP/MP4 and RTP/MP2. In this regard,the processor module 300 may be operable to rank or sort the possibletransport protocols 320 ₁-320 _(k) based on service priority, contentquality, price, QoS, network protocols supported by intended devicessuch as one or more devices 104, and/or user preferences.

The switch 330 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that are operable to sequentially select a transport protocol 320from the possible transport protocols 320 ₁-320 _(k) according to thecorresponding ranking. The selected transport protocol may becommunicated to the transport processor 340 for transport processingpackets received from the content providers 130 and/or the serviceproviders 120.

The transport processor 340 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to perform transport process onthe received packets utilizing a transport protocol sequentiallyselected by the switch 330. For example, the transport processor 340 maystart with RTP/TS for transport processing the received packets. Thetransport processor 340 may compare or match fields of the receivedpackets with packet formats specified in the selected transport protocolin order to determine correct transport protocols for the receivedpackets. In instances where the fields of the received packets do notmatch the selected transport protocol, the transport processor 340 maysignal the switch 330 to select the next transport protocol such asRTP/MP4 from the possible transport protocols 320 ₁-320 _(k) to continuethe transport process on the received packets. The corrected transportprotocols for the received packets may be determined or identified ifthe fields of the received packets match the packet formats specified inthe selected transport protocol. The transport processor 340 may utilizethe determined correct transport protocols to search or detect contentin the received packets. The detected content may be marked utilizingthe determined correct transport protocols. The transport processor 340may communicate the resulting marked content to the one or more devices104 for content consumption.

In operation, the possible transport protocols 320 ₁-320 _(k), which maybe utilized for packets received over the physical layer connections 310₁-310 _(J) from the content providers 130 and/or the service providers120, may be ranked or sorted based on service priority, content qualityand/or price, for example. The switch 330 may be signaled tosequentially select a transport protocol 320 such as RTP/TS from thepossible transport protocols 320 ₁-320 _(k) according to thecorresponding ranking. The transport processor 340 may be operable toutilize the selected transport protocol to perform transport processingon the received packets. In order to determine the correct transportprotocols utilized for the received packets, the transport processor 340may compare or match fields of the received packets with packet formatsspecified in the selected transport protocol. In instances where thefields of the received packets do not match the selected transportprotocol, the switch 330 may be signaled to try or select the nextpossible transport protocol such as RTP/MP4 to continue the transportprocess on the received packets. The corrected transport protocols maybe determined or identified if the fields of the received packets matchthe selected possible transport protocol. The transport processor 340may utilize the determined correct transport protocols to search ordetect content in the received packets. The detected content may bemarked utilizing the determined correct transport protocols and may beprovided or communicated the one or more devices 104 for contentconsumption.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processor that maybe utilized by a broadband gateway to perform parallel multi-transportprocessing utilizing a plurality of possible transport protocolsutilized by service providers, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a processor module 400that may be utilized by a broadband gateway 102. The processor module400 may be coupled to a plurality of physical layer connections 410₁-410 _(J). The processor module 400 may comprise multiple possibletransport protocols 420 ₁-420 _(k) that may be utilized by the contentproviders 130 and/or the service providers 120 over the physical layerconnections 410 ₁-410 _(J), and a transport processor 440.

The processor module 400 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to identify channel types suchas VoD, Cable linear broadcast and/or IP satellite for the correspondingphysical layer connections 410 ₁-410 _(J).

The possible transport protocols 420 ₁-420 _(k) may comprise variousdifferent transport protocols such as, for examples, RTP/TS, RTP/ASF,RTP/MP4 and RTP/MP2. In this regard, the possible transport protocols420 ₁-420 _(k) may be utilized simultaneously for transport processingthe received packets.

The transport processor 440 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to perform parallel transportprocessing on the received packets utilizing the possible transportprotocols 420 ₁-420 _(k). Fields of the received packets may be comparedwith packet formats specified in the possible transport protocols 420₁-420 _(k) simultaneously to determine or identify correct transportprotocols for the received packets. The transport processor 440 mayutilize the determined correct transport protocols to search or identifycontent in the received packets. The transport processor 440 maycommunicate the resulting marked content to the one or more devices 104for content consumption.

In operation, the possible transport protocols 420 ₁-420 _(k) may beutilized simultaneously for multi-transport processing on packetsreceived from the content providers 130 and/or the service providers 120over the physical layer connections 410 ₁-410 _(J). In this regard, thetransport processor 440 may compare or match fields of the receivedpackets with packet formats specified in the possible transportprotocols 420 ₁-420 _(k), simultaneously, to determine the correcttransport protocols for the received packets. The determined correcttransport protocols may be utilized to search or detect content in thereceived packets. The transport processor 440 may mark the detectedcontent utilizing the determined correct transport protocols, and maycommunicate the resulting marked content to the one or more devices 104for content consumption.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps that may beperformed by a broadband gateway for multi-transport and multi-protocolprocessing on packets received from a plurality of corresponding networkaccess service providers over a plurality of physical layer connections,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5,the exemplary steps may begin with step 502, in which a broadbandgateway 102 may be installed to interface with the devices 104 and theservice/content providers via the distribution network(s) 110. In step504, the broadband gateway 102 may receive packets over a plurality ofphysical layer connections such as the physical layer connections 210₁-210 _(J) from the content providers 130 and/or the service providers120. In step 506, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to identifychannel types such as VoD, Cable linear broadcast and/or IP satellitefor the physical layer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J).

In step 508, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to determinepossible transport protocols that may be utilized by the contentproviders 130 and/or the service providers 120 based on thecorresponding identified channel types. In step 510, it may bedetermined whether parallel transport processing is supported by thebroadband gateway 102. In instances where parallel transport processingis supported to determine correct transport protocols for the receivedpackets, then in step 512. The broadband gateway 102 may simultaneouslyperform transport processing on the received packets utilizing thedetermined multiple possible transport protocols. More specifically, thecorrected transport protocols may be determined by comparing or matchingfields of the received packets with the determined multiple possibletransport protocols. In step 514, the broadband gateway 102 may beoperable to search for or identify content of interest in the receivedpackets utilizing the determined correct transport protocols. In step516, the identified content may be marked utilizing the determinedcorrect transport protocols. In step 518, the marked content may becommunicated to the intended devices such as one or more devices 104 forcontent consumption.

In step 510, in instances where a serial transport processing issupported by the broadband gateway 102, then in step 520, the broadbandgateway 102 may rank or sort the determined multiple possible transportprotocols based on corresponding channel types, service priority, priceand/or user preferences. In step 522, the broadband gateway 102 maysequentially transport process the received packets utilizing thedetermined multiple possible transport protocols to determine correcttransport protocols for the received packets. The exemplary steps maycontinue in step 514.

Various aspects of a method and system for multi-transport andmulti-protocol processing in a broadband gateway are provided. Invarious exemplary embodiments of the invention, a broadband gateway 102,which enables communication with a plurality of devices 104, is operableto handle at least one physical layer connection to at least onecorresponding network access service provider. The broadband gateway 102may be operable to receive a packet from one of the at least one of thenetwork access service provider over one of the at least one physicallayer connection. The at least one physical layer connection maycomprise a plurality of physical layer connections such as the physicallayer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J) and the at least one correspondingnetwork access service provider may comprise a plurality ofcorresponding access service providers such as the service providers 120and/or the content providers 130. Each of the plurality of physicallayer connections 210 ₁-210 _(J) corresponds to a respective one of theplurality of corresponding access service providers. The broadbandgateway 102 may determine which one of a set of possible transportprotocols is utilized by the network access service provider for thereceived packet. The determined transport protocol may be utilized toidentify or search for content of the received packet. The set ofpossible transport protocols may be selected based on, for example, achannel type identified for the physical layer connection.

The broadband gateway 102 may transport process the received packet byfiltering one or more fields of the received packet utilizing theselected set of possible transport protocols. Depending on gatewayconfiguration, the broadband gateway 102 may perform transportprocessing sequentially or in parallel. In instances where a sequentialtransport process is employed by the broadband gateway 102, thebroadband gateway 102 may rank or sort the selected set of possibletransport protocols based on, for example, service priority, contentquality, QoS, price, gateway configuration, device capability and/oruser preferences. The selected set of possible transport protocols maybe sequentially utilized based on the corresponding ranking for thepacket filtering. In instances where a parallel transport processing issupported, the selected set of possible transport protocols may besimultaneously or concurrently utilized or applied for the packetfiltering. The one of the set of possible transport protocols associatedwith the received packet may be determined through the packet filtering.The identified content of the received packet may be marked utilizingthe determined transport protocol. The resulting marked content may becommunicated or distributed to one or more of the devices 104 forcontent consumption.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein formulti-transport and multi-protocol processing in a broadband gateway.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software. The presentinvention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind ofcomputer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computer system with a computerprogram that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computersystem such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for networking, the method comprising: in a broadbandgateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, whereinsaid broadband gateway is operable to handle at least one physical layerconnection to at least one corresponding network access serviceprovider: receiving a packet from one of said at least one networkaccess service provider via one of said at least one physical layerconnection; determining which one of a set of possible transportprotocols is utilized by said one of said at least one network accessservice provider for said packet; and identifying content of said packetutilizing said determined one of said set of possible transportprotocols.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one physicallayer connection comprises a plurality of physical layer connections andsaid at least one corresponding network access service providercomprises a plurality of corresponding access service providers, andwherein each of said plurality of physical layer connections correspondsto a respective one of said plurality of corresponding access serviceproviders.
 3. The method according to claim 2, comprising identifying achannel type for said one of said at least one physical layerconnection.
 4. The method according to claim 3, comprising selecting,based on said identified channel type, said set of possible transportprotocols for said packet.
 5. The method according to claim 4,comprising filtering one or more fields of said packet utilizing saidselected set of possible transport protocols.
 6. The method according toclaim 5, comprising ranking said selected set of possible transportprotocols.
 7. The method according to claim 6, comprising sequentiallyfiltering said one or more fields of said packet utilizing said selectedset of transport protocols one at a time based on said ranking.
 8. Themethod according to claim 5, comprising concurrently filtering said oneor more fields of said packet utilizing said selected set of transportprotocols.
 9. The method according to claim 5, comprising determiningsaid one of said set of possible transport protocols based on saidfiltering.
 10. The method according to claim 9, comprising marking saididentified content utilizing said determined one of said set of possibletransport protocols for content delivery to one or more of saidplurality of devices.
 11. A system for networking, the systemcomprising: one or more circuits for use in a broadband gateway thatenables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein saidbroadband gateway is operable to handle at least one physical layerconnection to at least one corresponding network access serviceprovider, said one or more circuits being operable to: receive a packetfrom one of said at least one network access service provider via one ofsaid at least one physical layer connection; determine which one of aset of possible transport protocols is utilized by said one of said atleast one network access service provider for said packet; and identifycontent of said packet utilizing said determined one of said set ofpossible transport protocols.
 12. The system according to claim 11,wherein said at least one physical layer connection comprises aplurality of physical layer connections and said at least onecorresponding network access service provider comprises a plurality ofcorresponding access service providers, and wherein each of saidplurality of physical layer connections corresponds to a respective oneof said plurality of corresponding access service providers.
 13. Thesystem according to claim 12, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to identify a channel type for said one of said at least onephysical layer connection.
 14. The system according to claim 13, whereinsaid one or more circuits are operable to select, based on saididentified channel type, said set of possible transport protocols forsaid packet.
 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said one ormore circuits are operable to filter one or more fields of said packetutilizing said selected set of possible transport protocols.
 16. Thesystem according to claim 15, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to rank said selected set of possible transport protocols. 17.The system according to claim 16, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to sequentially filter said one or more fields of said packetutilizing said selected set of transport protocols one at a time basedon said ranking.
 18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said oneor more circuits are operable to concurrently filter said one or morefields of said packet utilizing said selected set of transportprotocols.
 19. The system according to claim 15, wherein said one ormore circuits are operable to determine said one of said set of possibletransport protocols based on said filtering.
 20. The system according toclaim 19, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to mark saididentified content utilizing said determined one of said set of possibletransport protocols for content delivery to one or more of saidplurality of devices.